Representatives from Arizona and Nepal meet.
News from the Arizona Supreme Court:
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) recently sponsored a second visit to the Arizona Supreme Court with members of Nepal’s judiciary. After a 2015 visit with the Arizona Supreme Court, the Nepal Supreme Court established an access to justice commission modeled on what they learned in the United States, including the example of the Arizona Supreme Court’s own Access to Justice Commission.
Earlier this year, the Honorable Ms. Sushila Karki became the first female Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court.
Nepal Chief Justice Sushila Karki
As part of the UNDP project entitled Access to Justice Commission (A2JC) Study Visit in Nepal, the Nepalese judges met with Chief Justice Scott Bales and local subject matter experts to discuss such topics as: strengthening access to justice, addressing domestic violence cases, increasing representation of women in the judiciary, and meeting the justice needs of minority communities. The day-long program included the following speakers:
- Mr. Dave Byers, Director, Arizona Supreme Court
- Hon. Scott Bales, Chief Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
- Hon. Maurice Portley, Judge, Court of Appeals, Chair of Commission on Minorities
- Professor Paul Bennett, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
- Mr. Michael Liburdi, Chief Counsel to Gov. Doug Ducey
- Hon. Larry Winthrop, Judge, Court of Appeals, Chair of Commission on Access to Justice
- Hon. Wendy Million, Judge, Tucson City Court, Chair, Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts
- Mr. Marcus Reinkensmeyer, Court Services Division Director Case Management
“Nepal’s judicial leaders have embraced the goals of expanding access to justice and better addressing the needs of minorities, women, and victims,” Chief Justice Scott Bales said. “We shared with them how Arizona works to provide equal justice for all through court innovations and the work of our advisory committees, which are comprised of volunteers representing a wide range of perspectives.”
The representatives from Nepal included:
- Justice Govinda Kumar Upadhya, Nepal Supreme Court
- Justice Jagadish Sharma Poudel, Nepal Supreme Court
- Hon. Additional District Judge Surya Prasad Parajuli, Kathmandu District Court
- Mr. Shree Kanta Paudel, Registrar, Nepal Supreme Court
- Mr. Kumar Ingnam, Member, Access to Justice Commission
- Mr. Raju Dhungana, Section Officer, Nepal Supreme Court
- Ms. Khem Kumari Basnet, Section Officer, Nepal Supreme Court
More about the Arizona Commission on Access to Justice is available here. The next committee meeting is scheduled for August 17, 2016.
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